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This site has been posted by a patient to provide information about chronic candida, a group of symptoms which appears to be caused by the overgrowth of the yeast Candida albicans in the gastrointestinal tract. The patient database lists symptoms and treatment results submitted by visitors to this site.
Last updated on: 2008-09-24

Information on Chronic Candida:

  1. Candida albicans described.
  2. Candida-Related Complex(CRC) described; also known as the yeast syndrome and chronic candida.
  3. Small Bowel Bacterial Overgrowth(SBBO), a condition similar to chronic candida.
  4. Somatization disorder, the conventional diagnosis usually used for individuals with the clinical picture of chronic candida.

Probiotics information:

  1. History of probiotic research
  2. Summary of probiotic strains
  3. Lactobacillus GG, one of the more promising probiotic strains.
  4. Lactobacillus plantarum 299v, another strain with proven benefits.
  5. Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain updated-Yakult available in southern CA
  6. Lactobacillus rhamnosus VTT E-97800

Research issues on chronic candida:

  1. An unambiguous definition of chronic candida
  2. Why and how to research chronic candida
  3. The Food and Drug Administration, and their role in investigating reports of adverse drug reactions to antibiotics, such as chronic candida.

Patient Database:

  1. Submit your profile -- if you have tried anti-candida remedies to treat symptoms, please share your experiences(successful or not) with others. If you already have a profile, you can update it.
  2. Patients Table -- view the age, sex, and comments of those who have entered information into the database
  3. Symptoms Table -- view a list of all the symptoms visitors have reported
  4. Antibiotics Table -- view a list of all the antibiotics visitors report having, taken prior to becoming ill
  5. Medications Table -- view a list of prescription and non-prescription medications visitors report having taken to treat their symptoms, and their results
  6. Practitioners Table -- view a list of practitioners(physicians and others) visitors have reported seeing for their symptoms
  7. Diet Table -- view a list of foods visitors have eliminated tried eliminating from their diet, and their results

What is Candida?

Candida is a yeast-like fungus that causes superficial infections of the mucus membranes, such as vaginal yeast infections. It can cause more serious, systemic infection when a person's immune system is compromised by diseases such as cancer and AIDS. Candida infection is more common following antibiotic use, which can kill off the bacteria that normally live on mucus membranes, and otherwise inhibit overgrowth by candida. Candida albicans is the candida species most likely to cause candida infection.

Candida a normal resident of the human gastrointestinal(GI) tract, present in small numbers with no negative health effects.

What is "chronic candida"?

Chronic candida was first written about in 1983 by C. Orian Truss in his book "The Missing Diagnosis". It is a cluster of symptoms consisting mainly of fatigue, mental/emotional symptoms(such as irritability, depression, and difficulty concentrating), and gastrointestinal symptoms(such as bloating, GERD, and constipation). There is no medical test for the condition, and diagnostic criteria have not been scientifically established. It is usually diagnosed by a positive response to anti-candida treatment. Most people learn about chronic candida from books published in the lay press, which are based on case reports. Since the condition hasn't been the subject of medical research, most physicians will not diagnose it.

There is an online bulletin board for chronic candida patients called the "Candida Forum" at this address:
http://www.healthyawareness.com/candida/

If you are looking for an email discussion list(listserv), try YEAST-L:
http://www.howdyneighbor.com/jbayliss/listinfo.htm

What are probiotics?

A healthy human gastrointestinal(GI) tract contains trillions of bacteria and other microbes. There are several hundred species, and their total numbers are estimated at 10-fold the number of cells that make up our body. Because man has evolved with these microbes presence in the GI tract, they are necessary for healthy digestion and immune function.

"Probiotics" are live bacteria administered to animals or man to supplement this ecology of microbes in the GI tract, and therefore improve health. Medical benefits from ingesting specific strains of bacteria have only recently been scientifically proven(1), although the concept has been around for a long time(2). At present, there are only a handful of products on the market worldwide with bacteria that have even modest proven clinical benefits.

Dozens of supplement products are marketed as probiotics, most frequently capsules of freeze-dried Lactobacillus species. Research has shown that there are benefits to a healthy population of Lactobacilli in the GI tract, but the use of the term "probiotic" does not refer specificly to Lactobacilli or any other bacteria. It can refer to any microorganism meant to be used to promote health. It does not mean that a health benefits has necessarily been proven for that organism, either.

What is the relationship between candida and probiotics?

Probiotics are a popular treatment for chronic candida, probably because that condition is thought to occur (at least in some cases) after the GI microflora has bee reduced by antibiotics. There are prescription antifungals for candida infection, but some cases do not respond completely. A recent animal study with mice showed that a commercially available strain of probiotic bacteria(Lactobacillus GG) improved the response to candida infection(3). Because candida infection is very common, and probiotics may be effective at preventing candida overgrowth as well as reversing it, candida is a good target pathogen for future probiotic research.

References

  1. Elmer GW, Surawicz, CM, and McFarland LV "Biotherapeutic agents: a neglected modality for the treatment and prevention of selected intestinal and vaginal infections" JAMA 275:(11):870-876, March 20, 1996
  2. Kopeloff N. "Lactobacillus Acidophilus" Williams and Wilkins Co., 1926
  3. Wagner RD et al. "Biotherapeutic effects of probiotic bacteria on candidiasis in immunodeficient mice" Infection and Immunity 65(10):4165-4172

Disclaimer: Information on this site, including comments on medical treatments, is not intended as medical advice to visitors. It should be evaluated critically and should not take the place of medical advice from a licensed healthcare professional.

http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/candida/